"Jiang Hai, we'll give you three more days to think it over. If you don't hand over the murderer, we'll catch him ourselves!"
As the Coast Guard arrived, the fishermen realized the standoff was over for the day. The guild leader spoke over the radio, then, with a wave of his hand, led his fleet away one by one.
Watching the boats retreat, Jiang Hai ground his teeth in fury. He hadn't felt this humiliated in a long time.
"Boss, what do we do now?" one of his men asked. Thanks to the Coast Guard, the matter had been defused, but it was clear the other side—having finally found an excuse to invade Jiang Hai's fishing grounds—would not let him off easily.
Jiang Hai felt truly troubled. Fighting them directly wasn't an option, and playing dirty wasn't one either. But how could this stubborn resistance ever end? Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
"What should I do? Fight!" After a long pause, Jiang Hai gritted his teeth. His situation was now too precarious for hesitation. There was only one word left: fight!
He had never been the type to back down. Now that he was being bullied, he had no reason to retreat.
"Uncle Edward, didn't you say there were water cannons at the Ocean Temple?" If they were going to fight back, they needed weapons. Guns were out of the question—both the mayor and the police had warned him clearly: whoever fired first would be blamed.
Without firearms, their options narrowed significantly. After some thought, Jiang Hai settled on water cannons.
"No problem, we'll go there this afternoon," Edward Anderson said with a clap of his hands. Jiang Hai's anger cooled slightly, though the headache remained. What a hassle… and Jiang Hai hated trouble most of all.
Back at the dock, Jiang Hai and his men ate lunch, then set out with Edward Anderson for Boston. By two in the afternoon, they arrived at the Ocean Temple shipyard, where workers were just returning from their break.
The factory floor was cluttered, but Jiang Hai immediately spotted Dalton Green, the owner, wearing a hard hat and directing workers as they assembled a boat.
"Hey, Dalton!" Edward shouted.
Dalton looked over, surprise flashing in his eyes before a knowing smile spread across his face. He strode over, shook Jiang Hai's hand, and then turned to Edward.
"Man, I knew you'd show up. News spreads fast—everyone's talking about it."
Edward sighed with a wry smile. Jiang Hai didn't need anyone to spell it out. His conflict with the fishermen was no secret in Boston. To justify their actions, the fishermen had been spreading their side of the story everywhere.
Dalton knew perfectly well that Jiang Hai was looking for weapons, and that he was the man for the job.
"You're in trouble, huh? Those guys are too many, and they've got water cannons. We took heavy losses today. That's why we came—to buy some of our own and fight back," Edward explained grimly.
Dalton only smiled and gestured for them to follow. He led them through the factory to an open harbor space. Jiang Hai frowned at the emptiness.
"What are we doing here? Where are the cannons?"
"Haha, Mr. Jiang, I can tell you've never bought weapons before. When you buy one, you need to test it first, right? This is the proving ground. Bring it out!" Dalton waved to his workers, who pushed out several machines.
The first was a high-pressure water cannon about the size of those used by fire departments. At Dalton's signal, workers opened the valve. A jet of water burst forth, shooting nearly twenty meters before arching down, sunlight refracting into a rainbow.
"This is a standard QZ3.5/5 high-voltage cannon," Dalton explained. "Caliber: 50mm. Output: five liters per second. Range: 25 meters. It's the same type firefighters use, and also for prison riots. Light, simple, and very effective against people, though not so much against ships. With this, you could spray a man in plate armor clean off a deck."
At first, Jiang Hai had been skeptical, but hearing this, his eyes lit up. Against ships, it was weak—but against people? Perfect. He pictured the fishermen standing on their decks that morning.
"Next up, a size larger. Caliber: 65mm. Range: 28 meters. Seven and a half liters per second. It's heavy, so you'll need a crew to handle it," Dalton said, as another cannon was wheeled out. The jet was thicker, stronger—downright menacing.
"No, what we faced today was at least 80mm," Edward interrupted, shaking his head.
"80mm? We've got those, and even 82mm. Bring it over!" Dalton called. Workers rolled out another, bulkier cannon—the very same model the fishermen had used that morning.
"This one's strong enough to knock your ships off course," Jiang Hai muttered, scowling.
Dalton chuckled. "They came prepared. Your boats are built for long-distance voyages; only something of this caliber could affect them. The smaller ones would barely make a difference."
"Is there anything bigger?" Jiang Hai demanded, his face darkening. "I'll show them what happens when they mess with me."
Dalton's eyes gleamed. "Now you're speaking my language. Beyond 82mm, there's 100mm… and this—120mm. The largest caliber on the market."
Workers rolled out a massive cannon on a cart. When they opened the valve, a torrent of water erupted, roaring across sixty meters like a dragon. Jiang Hai's eyes lit up—this was exactly what he wanted.
"I'll take this one. Four of them!" He waved decisively, not even asking the price.
Edward quickly stopped him. "Dalton, can these even be mounted safely on a boat? The recoil must be enormous."
Dalton laughed. "No problem at all. You could install ten on your fishing boat if you wanted, but balance is important—spread them across both sides. Two on each of your two ships, and you'll be fine."
Edward frowned. "But will it capsize the other boats? If they go down, people will die, and then it becomes murder."
Dalton grew serious. "A 120mm cannon can threaten medium-sized vessels. Smaller boats could indeed capsize. If you want non-lethal, go with a mix—82mm, 75mm, 65mm, even 50mm. They'll handle small boats without sinking them."
Jiang Hai thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Four 120mm, four 82mm, and four 65mm. Get them ready."
Dalton smiled—deal closed—and ordered his men to fetch the equipment. Edward inspected everything carefully before Jiang Hai paid in full.
The cost was staggering—just the four 120mm cannons alone equaled the price of one of Jiang Hai's fishing boats. But he didn't flinch. He had money to spare, and more importantly, these cannons were the key to his revenge.
(To be continued…)